<quoted text>Yes, several Christians just gave me an education on the subject.They don't seem to agree on OSAS or no OSAS. I see it as a very poor policy, given the Christian belief that humans are by nature bad and require the fear of eternal damnation to abstain from sin.Perhaps the pedophile priests rely on the doctrine to maintain their behavior, and their superiors for their cover-ups.

Your position wouldn't change even if an angel held up a neon sign and said "This Way to heaven".

That's not correct. Try me.

I am sensitive to evidence. Christianity has offered nothing remotely like an angel - just unsubstantiated claims and specious arguments. Bill Maher said it well:

"Im open to anything for which there is evidence. Show me a god and I will believe in him. If Jesus Christ comes down from the sky during the halftime show of this Sundays Super Bowl and turns all the nachos into loaves and fishes, Ill think ...Oh look at that, I was wrong. There he is. My bad. Praise the lord!"

Counter_Strike wrote:

The fact is, you've come on here to waste people's time

You don't get too many "facts" correct, do you? That comment isn't even remotely likely to be correct. Even Dr. Shrink, whose opinions are a waste of time, doesn't come here to waste other people's time, does he? He comes here to express his opinions.

Edit Tide....this may sound like kind of a funny way to characterize Jesus but I think it is very fitting to say he was a no-nosense type of teacher. He expected people to follow his teachings to the letter and left no room for people to substitute their own ways.

And yet he chose to write in parables. How shrewd.

Skombolis wrote:

Jesus taught us to love. His message was that of love and leaving judgement to God. What else could He have taught?

Then turn right around and say they follow the teachings of Christ. Jesus did not teach people that they were capable of being perfect.

Our anointed Savior said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Peter wrote, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." And finally, the author of Hebrews wrote, "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit."

You truly don't know anything about the son of "God." It's rare to witness such foolishness from someone that claims to be a believer.

Grace Walker wrote:

He even took one commandment and raised the standards even higher just to get them to see that they cannot be as obedient as they think they can. He wanted them to see that they needed a Saviour.

Are you out of your tree?!

He was teaching us how to defeat sin by revealing to us where sin originates! If we remove lust from our hearts and minds, we'll never commit adultery!! And how do we remove lust from our hearts and minds? With prayer, and replacing such an unrighteous thought with a righteous thought!

You have got to be kidding me right now!!! What a cop-out!!!

Grace Walker wrote:

If anyone thinks he can go and sin no more are unhuman. They are seeing the "results" of SIN..I.E..lying, cheating, stealing ect..ect..are a RESULT or ACTION of SIN..The Sin nature.

And THAT explains it!!

You asked me why I stopped going to "church"? What you said was one reason. Because you so-called "Christians" are destroying the world!!! You've succumbed to defeat before you even started the battle!!!

How do you know you can't be perfect if you've never tried? How will anyone ever reach perfection with an attitude like yours?

You should be ashamed of yourself! It's attitudes like yours that have so many so-called "believers" living such a lukewarm lifestyle. Many of you, as I've witnessed, only do "good" when it's done with your congregations; for others to see! And that's "good" enough for you.

Grace Walker wrote:

The Sin God will NOT forgive is UNBELIEF in Jesus Christ. Churches have tried to keep their congregations under bondage and fear way too long.

when creatures started evolving, what evolved first, the legs for the creature to walk, teh eyes to see, the ears to hear or the mouth to eat?

You really shouldn't post on science.

Protostome worms had the first mouths [1]. Their primitive eye spots weren't really eyes, just light sensitive tissue in depressions. Eyes that were chambers with pinholes came in later invertebrates like snails (molluscs)[2]. Leg-like appendages appeared in some fish [3]. Hearing first appears in amphibians [4].

You couldn't do this? Of course you could. You don't really care about the answers. You just hope that the question will suggest that man is stumped by such questions, and that therefore a god must have been involved, don't you?

But the opposite comes out. Your god belief keeps you in the state you're in. It's you that is unknowing, not mankind, and deliberately so. You consider the science invalid and not worth knowing if it challenges your faith. But that doesn't stop you from taking pot shots at science from your position of abject darkness.

I don't think Jesus was any more than the personification of a social movement. The myth was probably based on a preacher, or a few, but I have no reason to think that the words attributed to Jesus were actually spoken by him, or that the stories about him actually happened.

As far as the religion that resulted from all that, I disagree with most of it. The few little things I do agree with, are not original or unique to Christianity. I have no reason to value it, at all.

Matthew 19:16-19And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Grace Walker 19:16-19And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, disregard the commandments.He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, All of them.

Dear God, I know that you have a plan for my life. Sometimes, I'm not sure I'm following the right path that will fulfill your perfect will. I pray that you will give me discernment to make the right choices, and to recognize when yYou place someone in my life to give direction and point out truths that will prepare me for the path I am to follow and the circumstances I am to face. Lord, please give me strength, grace, and unction from on high to not turn back neither to one side or the other, but to remained focused straight ahead on You. In Jesus' name, amen.

That is the philosophical difference between Judaism and Christinity. The prime assumption of Christianity is that humans are inherently bad and never can be good enough. The prime assumption of Judaism is that humans are inherently good and need to work at staying good. Two antithetical paradigms.

Thanks for that. That's a huge difference. These paradigms play in the background of thought whenever awake. They're foundational elements of one world view.

It's pretty common knowledge that if you verbally abuse a kid or a wife by convincing them that they are defective and worthless, or that they are lucky to be forgiven by you, that you stunt their self-image, and dampen their emotional and spiritual growth. They learn to expect failure and blame, and reach less far.

I don't see why would this would be different. I'm very grateful not to have been raised from infancy with such a dark view of myself and others.

Yours, Grace's, my, and every other person's efforts at righteousness are works of futility because we cannot be righteous because of our own efforts. They are a bunch of filthy rags.

First, as you say that, James says, "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." I'll not let you deceive me, Drew H. But, as to your quote...

I get frustrated when people quote certain verses, but don't actually understand the intention of what's written. Why did Isaiah write what he did? Why? Because, the righteousness of Israel was overshadowed by their iniquities, as it's written. For example and in concordance, Proverbs 21:27 says, "The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?" Sacrifices were required by law, to reconcile the sinner to Father and give the sinner a righteous standing. But, what if the sinner sacrificed with no intentions of departing from their iniquities? Then, the sinner's righteousness becomes like filthy rags, meaning feigned and insincere. But, as another, final example as to what Isaiah meant, Isaiah also wrote, "Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness." Israel appeared clean on the outside, but they were filthy in their inward parts.

Drew H wrote:

You might try at looking at the scriptures from a spiritual standpoint rather than a physical one.

...says Drew H to the one that's repeatedly shared how our anointed Savior taught us the spiritual interpretation and application of the literal letter of the law.

Drew H wrote:

That is what the Judaizers did (physical standpoint) and they, for certain, became self-righteous and Jesus told them what He thought about them.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and scribes for their hypocrisy, for starters, and because they upheld traditions above and before the commandments of "God." And as to their hypocrisy, they taught the law, but didn't adhere to what they were teaching. As it's written, "Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not."

Now, the Judaizers, on the other hand, was Paul's opposition, especially toward the Galatians. And the issue, there, was that these Judaizers were trying to compel the converts to become physically circumcised and to begin offering up sacrifices, two laws that were fulfilled on the cross. And that's the reasons for Paul's letter to the Galatians.

Drew H wrote:

Ever since you've been posting here you have been pompously describing your works of righteousness, yet you claim humility. Is that not a bit ironic?

I've never said anything more than the fact that I've been trying to become perfect, just as we've been instructed by our anointed Savior. I've said absolutely nothing different from Paul. Paul wrote, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Now, is your issue with just me, or both, me and Paul, Accuser?

Drew H wrote:

God knows who He has saved, and to those He gives assurance; and they know who they are.

Tell me when this thread is updated:

Add your comments below

Please note by submitting this form you acknowledge that you have read the Terms of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Be polite.
Inappropriate posts may be removed by the moderator. Send us your feedback.